The Collaroy Beach playground is a true favourite for Northern Beaches families. Its location is perfect as it is close to the beach, rock pools and cafés so head there early to secure a park.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

We love this playground as it covers all ages, children can hop on the shark/dolphin bouncer, go on a swing, go down several slides, venture around the playground, go on merry go round (which was being repaired on our visit), climb on the large structure, do some water play in summer and more.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Photo credit: @busycitykids

It has bouncy floors near the slides and a little bridge that little Mister loved to walk across. The main areas are shaded except for the one close to the beach however the little grocery shop under the main blue slide is nice and shaded. We spent most of our time in that section.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Bigger kids will love the large climbing structure which has all sorts of options and little ones will love the beach themed sculptures and little water play spot (in summer when it’s turned on).

Photo credit: @busycitykids

We love that this popular playground is so close to the beach, rock pools and some great cafés, all thumbs up, get ready for a great day out.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

The Collaroy Beach Playground is located off Pittwater Road in Collaroy.

Our packing list for this playground and nearby beach:

Drink bottles

Food for snacks, for lunch or for a picnic

Sunscreen

Sunhats

Helmet

Scooter/Bike

Beach gear if you're thinking of heading to the beach (towels, swimmers, change of clothes, etc)

This playground has:

Public toilets near the playground in the Collaroy Surf Life Saving Club

Full fence around the playground and is great with shading in lots of spots

Picnic area

Parking next to the playground ticket or northern beaches council permit

The Balmoral Beach is located on the Esplanade in Balmoral on the Lower North Shore. This popular spot includes Balmoral and Edwards Beaches and Pools. These two beaches are separated by a bridge which leads to the small island of Rocky Point.

Balmoral Beach is a very busy spot in summer where families and young children enjoy this calm beach. There is a children's rock pool closest to Edwards Beach, with the shark proof pool close to Rocky Point and the long strip of Balmoral Beach finishes with public baths.

Kids will love exploring on Rocky Point and prams are usually seen parked before the bridge as families love this little spot where kids can play near the water and land.

There is also a great kids playground near the Boathouse Café and close by there are showers and public toilets as well as other restaurants and cafés across the road.

We love visiting Balmoral Beach in summer, it's a fab spot for the family to relax, enjoy the sun and the water and some great fish & chips!

Please note: these photos are from our archives and dated January 2017, some changes to the beach and playground may have occurred since we last took these pics - thank you.

We love good weekend walks with the kids and the dog and always enjoy a Coastal Walk along Long Reef. You can either start at Griffith Park, park near the tennis club where there is free parking and do the full loop back or park at the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club where there is paying or northern beaches permit parking. Either way you'll love it!

Photo credit: @busycitykids

We generally park at the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club, do the walk, follow Fishermans Beach and finish up with a cheeky ice cream or coffee and a play at Griffith Park off Pittwater Road in Collaroy and walk back. The views over the open space and over the ocean are stunning and make the walk a breeze.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Photo credit: @busycitykids

I don't believe the beach is dog friendly however I do see dogs whenever we walk past. The walking track is pram friendly except for little tricky areas.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Photo credit: @busycitykids

The views over the golf course and ocean are just beautiful so take your camera for some great nature and ocean snaps.

Once you've reached the top, you can take a break, have a drink and enjoy the view and watch the hand gliders fly past. Humpback whales can seen at different times during the year along this coastal walk.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Fishermans Beach is a beautiful sandy beach where kids can chase the waves and see pelicans.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Photo credit: @busycitykids

I don't recommend letting your little ones or yourself go near or down the boat ramp (I learned that the hard way with weeks of chiropractor after slipping with my little one).

Photo credit: @busycitykids

A great way to finish the walk is to enjoy a coffee or ice cream from nearby shop at Griffith Park or a classic pie from Upper Crust.

Photo credit: @busycitykids

Our tips:

Don't forget to apply sunscreen on the little ones and yourself before you go and wear a hat

Bring water bottles, snacks or a picnic if you prefer

Bring bathers and a towel if you'd like to go to the beach

Bring some money and your camera if you'd like to have a coffee and ice cream after the walk and like to take pics along the way

Fairlight Beach is located off Lauderdale Avenue in Fairlight and about a 15 minutes walk from Manly Wharf.

The Fairlight beach is a small beach with shelly sand which has a large rock and concrete pool and small wading pool. There is no shark netted area however the water off the beach stays shallow for some distance.

There is no shade on the beach so it's best to bring a shaded tent for the little ones or an umbrella.

It is a popular spot for snorkelers and divers, locals and visitors. There is apparently plenty of fish to be found in shallow waters off the beach or a bit further out where the beach suddenly drops off after some distance.

There are showers and toilets onsite near the beach. Parking is limited near the beach spot but you can park off Woods Parade like we did and take a walk down to the beach.

Shelly Beach is located off Bower Street in Manly. It has a beautiful lookout area where you can view the amazing blue waters, a small beach with a restaurant & kiosk, a promenade walk to Manly and rock baths along the walk.

The beach is great for families to visit, play on the sand and enjoy lunch or an ice cream from the nearby restaurant and kiosk. There is no shark fenced area where little ones can swim in and the beach is not patrolled. There is no parking on the beach as such but up on the hill which gets pretty busy in summer starting from 9am. We have visited both late afternoon and early morning and had no issues finding a car park there.

It is a popular spot for diving and snorkelling as the beach is in the protected Cabbage Tree Bay reserve where all sorts of marine life can be seen.

The Boathouse restaurant, café & kiosk is a great spot for all meals during the day or a sneaky coffee and ice creams to keep mumma and the little ones at bay.

On the left hand-side of Shelly beach, there is a walking path to Manly which is great for spotting beautifully carved sea creatures and real water dragons on the way to Manly and little crabs on the rocks on the way back.

There are also rock baths along the path to Manly which are good for older kids or adults as well as shops.

The Little Manly Beach (also known as Little Manly Cove) is located off Stuart Street in Manly which is a about 20 minutes walk from Manly Wharf.

The Little Manly Beach is a great beach for children. We visited on a warm Saturday afternoon, did not find it too crowded and we were able to find a spot on the beach close to the water. The hardest part of it was finding a parking spot nearby and convincing the kids to leave the beach after we were there for an hour.

When we visited, kids were playing in the rock pools next to the shark fenced swimming area. My little ones loved this beach and playing in the wet sand making sand castles. I wish we had taken our tent or beach umbrella to shade us from the late sun though.

It is a great little beach for kids to swim around while being able to touch the bottom in parts and great for families to be able to sit on the beach while watching their older children swim without having to worry about waves, sharks or other things.

There is also a non-fenced swimming spot on the right hand side of the Little Manly beach as well as a swing set with a baby and child seat and a larger children's playground at Little Manly Point Park next to the beach.

There is a kiosk café on the beach with some reasonably priced food if you don't manage to pack anything for snacks, lunch and dinner. There are also council operated toilets and beach showers right next to the kiosk café.

It is a great spot for families with areas for a picnic or bbq, it has a small fenced off area for little swimmers and a great size playground and a little café.

If you haven't been before, make sure you introduce your child to the swimming area so that they are familiar with how deep or shallow it is.

The grass is a bit worse for wears so bring some picnic equipment such as chairs, picnic blankets etc. There are a bbq onsite as well as some benches and tables however it does get busy at times so best be prepared.

The playground is situated right next to the water and is great for kids of all ages. It has two sets of swings, lots of climbing structures, two types of slides as well as a boat and a little structure for little ones to play in.

There is a café onsite with some reasonably priced food if you don't manage to pack anything for snacks or lunch. There are also council operated toilets onsite too.

The Surf Reserve playground is located along Surf Road in North Curl Curl.

This cute playground has a main structure with two slides, a seesaw, a springer and two swings. The beauty about this playground is its proximity to the North Curl Curl lagoon and beach.

The lagoon is an off-leash area for dogs which is great to take them for a walk, a ball and a swim.

The North Curl Curl beach is a great beach for walking, playing, swimming and surfing.

Photo credit: This single photo was retrieved from the Warringah Council website - all other photos on our website are our own.

There is also a 25 metre rockpool towards the end of the headland at North Curl Curl Beach. During high tide it can only be accessed via the coastal walk across the headland. (Note: It is currently closed Nov 2016, please check with council)

Tips:-Park on Surf Road near the playground and walk to the North Curl Curl beach after a play at the playground. Or if you want to get closer to the North Curl Curl beach and have a parking permit or want to pay council parking, head down to the North Curl Curl Safe Life Saving Club.-Bring the usual beach gear (sunscreen, hat, bucket & spade etc.) and snacks and water to the playground and beach as there are no nearby cafés.-There are no toilets at the playground however there are toilets at the North Curl Curl Safe Life Saving Club as well as showers.

Little Miss, Little Mister and I recently moved to Sydney from Melbourne and were told that Sydney is all about the beach life so we thought we'd mix our usual love for playgrounds and the beach. We found Clifton Gardens in Mosman which is a great area for meeting up with friends & family or head to on a nice sunny day for some playground and beach fun!

The playground has a number of climbing gear, a see-saw, slides, different sized swings, a special needs swing and much more, all in a large sandpit.

The sandpit area is not fenced however there is a small area with other play equipment which is fenced.

The best bit about this playground is the view and the cute beach which is perfect for little ones to build some great sandcastles and go for a swim with mum & dad.

Parking - There is council parking available at a cost of $5 an hour or $20 maximum per day.

Toilets - There are toilets near the playgrounds including one with a shower and one with a change table.

Other facilities - There is a water fountain and lots of benches around the playground. There is also a café nearby called The Bacino Kiosk which is on the left of the beach area after the playground.